Difficult to leave
by Mikha
Summary: Kaede gets an unexpected visitor in the night with an unusual request. Prequel to my most recent story :


Strange as it sounds, it was the silence that awoke her. Whatever her powers, she could sense the presence in her hut almost immediately after it entered, and her body was chilled to the bone. It was an impressive presence, and one that commanded respect and attention.

But the intruder was still, standing just beyond the screen.

Unsure of what to do, she remained where she was on her futon, her eyes closed, waiting for her visitor to make the next move. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. And soon she began distinguishing other sounds in her surroundings, the sounds of the night. The insects that floated overhead, the birds that stalked their prey in the dark… but from her visitor, nothing.

It was an unexpected visit, by all means. Never would she have expected this mighty being to call on her, let alone in the middle of the night. How long should she wait for him to speak? Should she hold her tongue and wait? But the minutes passed tensely, with no reaction whatsoever.

Finally, she gave up.

"Will you stand there all night, or is there anything I can do for you, Sesshomaru?"

"Kaede."

One word. Just calling out her name had Kaede sitting up in her futon, eyes wide open, at full attention at the youkai presently in front of her.

He stood in the faded light coming from the screen and the moon beyond, his figure in utter darkness, but his eyes shone as if they had a light of their own. Kaede tried her best not to feel intimidated, or at least not to show it. But his presence was commanding, and shivers ran down her spine nevertheless.

"What brings you here this evening?" she tried a different approach. "Are you looking for Inuyasha? He is not here, you know…"

"I can find him just fine on my own."

The words were like a whip, sharp and quick.

"Then what is this about? I don't suppose you've come here for the services of a miko."

"I have not."

"Then?" She stood up as straight as she could, and looked at Sesshomaru in the eyes. He looked back, his cold gaze burning holes in her head. "What is the purpose of your visit."

"Rin."

Rin. Ah, yes. The girl had spent some time with Kaede a few weeks earlier. Had something happened during that time that Kaede had no knowledge of?

"Is she alright?"

"Yes."

Kaede waited. Even in the cold gaze, she could sense a struggle was going on inside. Whatever it was that Sesshomaru had come to do, it wasn't easy for him. To see such emotion coming from him was not only unexpected, but also disconcerting. A youkai of such power as him could not afford to show weaknesses like that. They could open him as a target.

"What about her, then?"

"She is to stay here."

"Stay here?" Now Kaede was confused. "She is in no danger, isn't she safer with you anyway?"

Sesshomaru's eyes barely moved, but Kaede noticed.

"She needs to live with humans."

Kaede remained quiet, waiting for him to continue. But Sesshomaru was not a youkai to be rushed, and he took his time saying what he had to say. The struggle became more and more evident as time passed.

"When she is older, she can decide where to live, with humans or with me. But for that to happen, she needs to know both worlds. For now, she only knows mine, and the despair of yours. I trust you can show her otherwise."

Kaede was slowly understanding the predicament, and why it was being so difficult for Sesshomaru to do this. Why he had come in the middle of the night to sort out such a difficult dilemma.

"Why me?" Kaede asked. It was an honest question. Of all the people who could do something for Rin, Sesshomaru had chosen her. One with limited powers, one of advanced age.

"Because you've done it before, and Rin was happy here."

That was an unexpected thing to hear, especially coming from him.

"So what do you propose?"

"I will bring her here tomorrow morning, and she will be under your care."

"For how long?"

"Until she's old enough to decide by herself."

"That will be a number of years."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a problem?"

"No, of course not." And Kaede found that indeed it was not a problem. She had found the girl's company quite welcome, and she was a well-behaved child, if a little eccentric due to her unusual upbringing. But she was always polite, and always helpful, and braver than most girls her age.

"Good."

Sesshomaru turned to leave, having given the conversation for finished.

"Will you see her until then?"

"Until what?"

"Until she's old enough to decide by herself."

"I will visit her."

"Very well."

He turned to her again, and in a flash he was inches from her.

"You will speak of this to no one," he said. "Not even Rin."

"I will not."

And with that, he left.

To Kaede, it was obvious why he wanted her to keep the secret. Obviously it was difficult for him to have someone see his true feelings, and more so if they could be then revealed to other people. But Kaede would not betray his trust. Whatever had happened that night, that was what Sesshomaru had given her, his trust. He was entrusting her with, as far as Kaede could see, the only person he had ever cared for in his life. She would not make things more difficult for him than they needed to be.

And so, from the next morning, Rin moved in with Kaede. She was sad to be separated from Sesshomaru, and ran inside to cry. It was because of this that she missed the second in which Sesshomaru expressed his own sadness, but Kaede was there to see it.

She alone knew how hard it was for him to walk away from Rin.


End file.
